Reid warns summer travelers of the 'pain of sequestration'

Reid’s comments come days after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a list of 149 air traffic control towers it intends to close in June because of the automatic spending cuts that have gone into effect.

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Reid said that the tower closures would “frustrate” travelers who could see travel delays of more than three hours.

“The FAA announced this week thousands of flights will be delayed up to three hours,” Reid said. “They’re expecting 6,700 delayed flights this summer.”

Reid said the number of delays during summer travel would double because of the “devastating" sequester.

Reid also pointed out that some citizens are already feeling the negative effect of sequestration. He cited automatic spending cuts that have affected Meals on Wheels, Head Start and medical research. He called on Republicans to work with Democrats to agree to take funds saved from the ending of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and offset the “haphazard” automatic spending cuts.

Republicans have accused the FAA of purposely inflicting delays on airline passengers to score political points.